The Deal - A Christmas Story
by SevReed
Summary: In which Tori and Jade spend their first Christmas together, and Tori gets the next best thing to a waffle-maker.


**Well, I thought I might get a chapter of Power Play out before the holidays, but that was way too depressing for the festive season, so here's a quick Christmas story.**

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Tori paced frantically up and down. It was Christmas Eve.

They'd lived together for almost a year, but this would be their first Christmas together. She'd decorated the tiny apartment, planned the food, hung the lights. She'd even flocked the tree. And herself, and quite a lot of the walls and furniture, much to Jade's amusement.

Almost a year. Long enough for her to get used to Jade's little foibles and peculiarities, likes and dislikes, her obsessive tidiness in certain areas, her blindness to chaos in others, her moods swings and occasional reckless generosity. Long enough to get to know her in a way she hadn't when they'd started dating.

And long enough for Jade to get used to _hers_ , too. Tori wasn't much given to introspection, and it wasn't until their first real row - a blazing, humdinger of a row, that started over nothing and escalated into Armageddon - that she'd realized the bubble she'd lived in at home, that sharing a life with someone meant equal terms, equal responsibilities. It took work _. 'You're not my mom!'_ Tori had yelled at her, as the argument had entered its final phase.

Jade had looked at her coldly _._ "No," she'd said. "I'm not."

It took her a few seconds to understand the implication of that. Jade wasn't her mom, she could walk out any time she liked, and for a moment it seemed like she might.

But she hadn't. They'd stood, silent and exhausted in the aftermath, surrounded by debris, like the sole survivors of an earthquake. Finally, Jade had held out her arms in reconciliation, and Tori had fallen into them, thankfully, and they'd talked long into the night.

Things were better after that, much better. A lot of Jade's anger had always come from trying to be in control, and as soon as she accepted that she didn't always _have_ to be, she began to relax. The dynamic that had brought them together was still there, but moderated, tempered by the knowledge that they were no longer forced together as they had been at school, and they risked losing each other if they went too far.

Almost a year. But was it long enough for _this_? Was it too soon? More frantic pacing. What if she was wrong? What if Jade had spent all this time teetering on the edge of abandoning her, and this pushed her over? What if she just mocked her? What if she looked horrified? What if... _Oh man, I need to pee._

She came out of the bathroom and picked up the small parcel under the tree. Maybe she could change it. Was it too late to change it? Of course it was, it's Christmas Eve, you dunce. Maybe she could get something else. Where would be open at this time of night? There was a gas station on the corner. She could get Jade... an air-freshener. That was it. The perfect gift. She could get Jade an air-freshener, and she could hang it in the car, and every time they went for a drive they'd laugh and hug and remember that magical Christmas when Tori had bought the woman she loved an air-freshener.

The door opened. "Hey," Jade said, flinging her bag onto the table. Tori jumped, and shoved the parcel behind her back.

"Hi," she said, in a voice so high that only dogs could hear it. She cleared her throat. "I mean, hi. How was your shift?"

"Like being dragged backwards through an idiot bush. How about you?"

"Good. All good."

"Right. Well, I guess we should..." There was something about Tori's guilty expression that seemed a little suspicious. She folded her arms. "Okay. What is it?"

"What's what?"

"Whatever you're trying not to say."

"Nothing."

"Come on."

"Really nothing."

"Tori..."

"Nothing."

"One last time."

"Okay, fine," Tori said. "Well… you know how you love me, and everything?"

"Yes?"

"And you find my quirkiness adorable, and not at all annoying?"

"Is this about the banana thing?"

"No."

"Okay. So..?"

"Well, this year, I thought we'd... open our presents on Christmas Eve, instead."

"Right." Jade nodded. "Why, exactly?"

"I just thought it might be fun."

"In what way?"

"In the way that doing things differently sometimes is."

"But we're not doing anything differently. We haven't _done_ anything yet. This is our first Christmas."

"Well, yes, but I thought that maybe you wouldn't want to be stuck doing the same old thing as everyone else," Tori said, hopefully. "I mean, how boring is that? Let's rebel a little. Stick it to the man."

" _'The man'_ being Santa Claus? You're rebelling against Christmas now? Wow, Tori. That's pretty hardcore."

"What? No! I love Christmas. I just think..."

"Tori, is there something wrong?"

"No, but..."

"Tori!"

" _I've got you a present but I don't know if you're going to like it or if you're going to hate it or if you're going to leave me and I won't be able to sleep tonight if I don't find out so please open it now_." Tori managed in a single breath. She led out her hand, with the small parcel in it. "Please?"

There was a long pause. Jade blinked. "Oh," she said. "Okay."

"You don't mind?" Tori said, in relief.

"Of course I don't mind. If it matters to you, then let's do it." She reached for the gift, but it appeared to be glued to Tori's hand. "So... can I actually have it?" she said, "or do I have to wrestle you for it?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, you have to come and sit down first." Tori dragged her over to the sofa with a free hand, and they sat, side by side. After a moment's hesitation, Tori handed over the package.

Jade held it in her hand for a second, then slide a fingernail under the festive wrapping paper, peeling it carefully away from the small box inside. She folded the paper neatly, placed the box on top, and flipped it open.

Inside was a ring. White gold, a diamond, set around with polished jet. An engagement ring.

Beside her Tori moved from the sofa down onto one knee, then both knees, then one knee again, then both. She took a deep breath. "Jade West," she said. "Will you marry me?"

There was a long pause, where the word _'Yes'_ could have been. Jade said nothing, still staring at the ring. The silence lengthened, until it could easily have accommodated the words, _'You've made me the happiest girl in the world'_ , _'I love you so much, Tori Vega, let's set a date'_ , and probably most of the ceremony itself.

"It doesn't have to be right now," Tori said, starting to panic. "I mean, not right _now_ , right now, obviously, that would be ridiculous, it's Christmas Eve and we haven't even had dinner, I mean it can be any time, soon, or... later, even, in the future, say, years from now, or even not at all, if that's what you want - well, no, otherwise there's be no point in me asking, but what I'm saying is... is... Jade?"

Jade was still gazing into the box. Finally she looked up.

"Well, _this_ is awkward," she said.

Tori's face fell. "Is it the ring?" she said, desperately. "I can always swap it if you want to, they had plenty of other rings, _lots_ of other rings, the whole shop was full of rings. It was a ring shop. We could go, and you could choose like, four or five, and-"

"It's not the ring, Tori," Jade said, quietly. "The ring's beautifully."

"Oh." Tori looked heartbroken. "Then is it me?"

"Tori..."

"Because I can change, you know, I probably haven't always been the best girlfriend in the world, but..."

"No, Tori. It's not you, either. You're even more beautiful. More than I deserve."

"Then what?"

"It's just..." Jade reached into her bag, without taking her eyes off her. She pulled out a small cube, wrapped in shiny black paper. "Here."

"What's this?"

"This is your present."

"Tori looked at the little black square. Her brain ground to a halt, as it often did in times of stress. "What is it?"

"It's a very small waffle-maker," Jade said. "For making very tiny waffles."

"Really?"

"No. Open it."

Tori ripped at the paper, throwing it aside, to find herself holding another small box. She opened it.

Another ring. Yellow gold this time, the diamond surrounded by small brown stones the color of her hair. She stared at it, as she heard Jade slide from the sofa onto her knees, facing her.

"You see," Jade said, "I'm not sure I can accept your proposal."

"What?"

"I know I'm not easy to live with, Tori," she said. "I know I can be bitchy, and controlling, and a little bit overbearing at times. I've tried to get better," she went on, when Tori didn't deny it, "tried to be the kind of person that someone could actually love, but it's taken time, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate the fact that you've stuck with me, given me the chance. I love you more than anything, but I can't just let you ask me to marry you. You shouldn't be the one that _needs_ to ask."

"But…"

"So here's my counter-offer," Jade said. She took Tori's hand. "I _will_ marry you, Tori Vega," she said, "but if, and only if, you'd do me the honor of accepting my proposal, too. It's a kind of quid pro quo thing. What do you think?" She bit her lip. "Is it a deal?"

Tori didn't answer for a moment, eyes still on the ring, until a single tear ran down her nose and hit the diamond. She looked up, and smiled.

"Deal," she said.

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"You know, _next_ Christmas, I'd like one of those tiny waffle-makers. They sound really cool. We could invite people over, have tiny waffle parties."

"They're not actually a real… Okay, fine. A tiny waffle-maker it is."


End file.
